"And what, woman--the decoits were your own people?"

"Yonder Sahib had saved my life--saved me from the harem of Nana Sahib,
and I came to save his life and your Chief's."

Now there was an eruption into the chamber; men carrying a great pot of
hot ashes, and one swinging from his hand the nosebag of a horse; and
with them the Rajput.

"Here," Kassim said, addressing the Hindu, "what means this spear upon
this document? Is it a hint to drive it home?"

The Rajput put his fingers reverently upon the Rana's signature.
"That, Commander, is the seal, the sign. I am a Chondawat, and belong
to the highest of the thirty-six tribes of Mewar, and that sign of the
lance was put upon state documents by Chonda; it has been since that
time--it is but a seal. Even as that,"--and Zalim proudly swung a long
arm toward the wall where a huge yellow sun embossed on gypsum
rested--"even that is an emblem of the Children of the Sun, the
Sesodias of Mewar, the Rana."

"It is well," Kassim declared; "as to this that is in the message,
to-morrow, with the aid of a mullah, we will consider it. And now as
to Hunsa, we would have from him the truth."

He turned to the Gulab; "Go thou in peace, woman, for our dead Chief
had high regard for thee; and Captain Sahib, even thou may go to thy
abode, not thinking to leave there, however, without coming to pay
salaams. Thou wouldst not get far."